Discover Hainan: Coastal Roads, Rainforests and Culture

Explore Hainan through its coastal roads, rainforest landscapes and cultural attractions. The routes and places described here offer different starting points for planning a trip, from a long scenic road around the island to museums and protected landscapes. If you’re looking for a hotel in Hainan, it helps to first consider which of these interests you want to shape your trip.

Routes for different travel plans

The Hainan Coastal Scenic Highway is 988 kilometers long and passes through twelve coastal cities and counties around the island. You can explore it by sightseeing bus, self-driving, bicycle or motorcycle. Another name applies to Sanya: the Sanya Tourist Highway is the Sanya section of the Hainan Island Ring Road. The names therefore refer to different descriptions and scales of trip planning.

More narrowly defined, the Mountain and Sea Sightseeing Route runs from Sanya through Baoting to Lingshui. It is 112.2 kilometers long, with the Mount Qixianling National Forest Reserve recommended as a stop along the way. When choosing a route, you can consider both the larger coastal highway and this specific route with its named locations. Wenchang chicken is among the culinary options along the Hainan Coastal Scenic Highway.

Rainforests and distinctive landscapes

Natural attractions also vary by location. Bawangling is currently the only habitat of the Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus, CR), which is critically endangered worldwide, according to a UNESCO submission dated January 19, 2022. The submission also highlights the outstanding vegetation communities of Hainan’s montane rainforest. In Ledong, Jianfengling Mountain National Forest Park features a landscape of towering trees, exotic flowers and winding vines.

Other distinctive natural areas are notable for their own features: Nanwan Monkey Islet in Lingshui is a macaque nature reserve on an island. In the Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone, a 3.5-kilometer loop trail for all visitors crosses wooden boardwalks and rustic stone steps, as well as a suspension bridge. These details offer a concrete sense of each natural attraction without combining the locations into a single route.

Culture, history and coastlines

Sanya is home to Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area, officially rated a national 5A-level tourist attraction. It is known for its tropical coastal scenery and its long-standing and distinctive historical and cultural significance. The Nanshan Cultural Tourism Zone offers a different cultural focus: it is divided into three major park areas, each with a different theme. The Nanshan Buddhism Cultural Garden showcases traditional Chinese Buddhist culture.

The China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea focuses on local natural and cultural heritage and cultural exchange along the Maritime Silk Road. Its collection includes more than 70,000 items, among them exported antiques from past dynasties, biological specimens, cultural relics from the South China Sea and various ship models. The permanent exhibitions cover the history of people in the South China Sea, natural ecology, the protection of cultural relics and exchanges between China and its neighboring countries.

The nominated Hainan Tropical Rainforest and the Traditional Settlement of Li Ethnic Group also has its own focus. Centered on Wuzhishan, it is considered the main settlement area of the Li, where they have created a unique island culture. The traditional Li villages in the area have historical and cultural value. Another historical trace goes much further back: according to historical records, the art of coconut carving in Hainan dates back to 847, during the Tang Dynasty.

Choose a hotel location based on your interests

The places described here offer concrete points of reference, without requiring you to treat the different routes and attractions as a single itinerary. Choose your hotel location according to which of these travel interests you want to prioritize.

Discover more destinations: Qionghai, Sanya, Haikou, Wanning, Ledong, Xinzhuzhen, Baoting, Baisha, Danzhou, Tunchang, Wuzhishan, Wenchang, Ding'an, Dongfang.

For the broader travel overview: China.